Christian Easter Traditions that Focus on Jesus
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How to Celebrate Easter as a Christian
With all the excitement about the Easter bunny and eggs filled with candy, it can be hard to remember the real reason for Easter. As believers of Jesus, it is important that we strive to celebrate Easter as Christians and not just candy lovers. So how do we go about making Jesus the focus of our Christian Easter traditions while still having fun?
I have learned that you can still have the Easter bunny while remembering the sacrifice and Resurrection of Jesus. Sometimes it can be as simple as recognizing the symbolism of Jesus in the classic Easter traditions. It could also include creating brand new traditions.
The most important thing in celebrating Easter as a Christian is that you have a good time with loved ones and remember Jesus.
9 Christian Easter Traditions that Focus on Jesus
Here are a few ideas for Christian Easter traditions that are kid-friendly and will help you remember the real reason for Easter.
1. Roll hard-boiled eggs down a hill.
The symbolism behind this activity is the rolling away of the stone to Christ’s tomb. Talk about this event with your family, then have some fun! Boil the eggs, dye them, then enjoy some laughs as you roll the eggs down a hill or driveway and watch them get destroyed. You can even have a competition to see who’s egg lasts the longest.
2. Read the Easter story.
We read about Jesus’s birth during Christmas, so why not read about His Resurrection during Easter? I think this is a great Christian Easter tradition because it brings the family together studying the life of Christ. It also helps us go into Easter with gratitude and remembrance of Jesus’s sacrifice for us. There are a few ways you can go about doing this:
- Find one chapter from the Bible that sums up the happy ending. If you want to keep it short and sweet, I would read John 20. It shows the resurrected Christ coming forth to Mary, the apostles, and Thomas.
- If you want the full story from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, then you can start the Sunday before Easter and read about each of the eight days until you get to Easter Sunday. This website is a great source where you can see the storyline and the verses that go along with each day.
- For young children, it can be helpful to have a picture book that you read with them each year. Here are a few from Amazon that do an excellent job of portraying the true message of Easter:
3. Have the Easter Bunny write a letter to the kids.
After hiding the eggs and setting out the Easter baskets, place a note from the Easter bunny for the family to read together. The idea is to remind the family that the main reason we celebrate Easter is to remember that Jesus suffered for us and rose from the dead. Here is an example of what that note might say:
Happy Easter, ______ Family!
I hope you enjoy the goodies I have left you. I want to let you in on a little secret: the real reason I love Easter so much is not because of all the candy and eggs I get to leave for families, but because it is a time to remember Jesus Christ. Without Him, it would be hard to find peace and joy in life. He is the reason that new life can come into the world without fear of death and sin.
I leave these treats for you in celebration of Jesus and that because of Him, we can keep enjoying life and coming closer to Him. So enjoy looking for eggs, but also remember to keep looking for Jesus as you go about your day. I have left a few reminders of Him, see if you can find them all!
Love,
The Easter Bunny
4. Put reminders of Jesus in some of the Easter eggs.
What better way to remind the children of Jesus than by putting Him in some of the Easter eggs? Here are a few ideas of what you can include:
- Jesus/Christian stickers! If you aren’t sure what to look for, take a look at these! These stickers are great because they can go on water bottles, laptops, bikes, cars, etc. So even adults can have fun with them!
- Pictures of Jesus. Cut out small pictures of Jesus that are Easter-egg sized and stuff them in!
- Pieces of a Jesus puzzle. After all the eggs are collected, the kids can have fun bringing all their pieces together to build the puzzle. I recommend fewer puzzle pieces so that the pieces don’t get lost.
- Scripture verses. These could be printed out, on stickers, or even written out.
5. Attend an Easter Church service.
This is a classic Easter tradition for Christians. What better way to worship our Lord than by going to Church? I feel like Easter wouldn’t be complete for me without attending Church, partaking of the Sacrament (or the Lord’s Supper), and singing praises to Him with my family.
6. Go around the dinner table saying, “Because of Jesus, I can…”
Take turns going around the dinner table and sharing what Jesus has done for you. It is a simple and easy way to add Jesus into the regular Easter tradition of family dinner.
This is a great opportunity to recognize what Jesus makes possible for us. Without His suffering, death, and Resurrection, we would have to live in our sins because we couldn’t repent. We would live in fear because there would be no chance of overcoming death. Life is so much sweeter because of Jesus!
7. Watch an Easter video that focuses on Jesus.
Sit down together and watch a video about Jesus. There are a wide variety of options you can choose from that will inspire the whole family! I think this is a great way to bring families together and remember Jesus Christ.
8. Make Empty Tomb Rolls.
These rolls are a yummy and fun way to remember the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This wonderful recipe can be found here. As you make the rolls, you take a marshmallow, which represents Jesus’s body, and roll it in butter and cinnamon and sugar, representing the oils and spices that were put on His body. You then wrap the marshmallow in the dough, which represents the tomb or the burial clothing, and place it in the oven, which could also represent the tomb.
When the rolls are baked, you can take a bite to find them empty! It’s a great object lesson for kids and a fun family Easter tradition everyone will cherish.
9. Make or Buy Resurrection Eggs.
Resurrection eggs are a classic way to turn a regular Easter tradition into a Christian Easter tradition.
Resurrection eggs consist of a dozen Easter eggs that each have a piece of the Easter story. As you put together or open each egg, share the scripture or story behind the symbolic items. You can find Resurrection eggs here (pictured below) or make some yourself.
If you want to make them yourself or with your kids, there are a variety of ways you can do this, so don’t feel limited.
Below are pictures and an outline of how my mother-in-law likes to do Resurrection eggs, including what to put in the eggs, the story, and the scripture verse that goes with each item. (Kudos to her for sharing this fun idea with me!)
After the Resurrection eggs are complete, you can have a Christ-centered Easter egg hunt or a family lesson where each person takes a turn opening an egg and sharing part of the story.
Egg #1: Sacrament cup or small wine glass
Story: Before Jesus died, he had one last meal with his disciples. He had bread and drink for everyone. He asked his friends to remember his body when they ate the bread and his blood when they had the drink. We also remember His body when we eat bread and drink water each week when we take the Sacrament.
Scripture: Matthew 26: 26-28
(You can find Sacrament cups here and mini wine glasses here.)
Egg #2: Coins
Story: After the Last Supper, Jesus went to a place called the Garden of Gethsemane where He prayed to Heavenly Father for each of us, and He made it possible for us to be forgiven for the things we do wrong. While He was in the garden, soldiers came to take Him away. They didn’t know which one was Jesus, so one of His disciples named Judas betrayed Jesus and agreed to tell them. Judas was given 30 pieces of silver for doing this. These silver coins represent the money Judas received.
Scripture: Matthew 26:14-15
Egg #3: Piece of rope or leather string to represent a whip
Story: Jesus was taken before a man named Pilate, who was the Roman leader at that time. Even though Pilate knew Jesus was innocent, he did what the wicked people wanted him to do and said that Jesus was to be killed. Before the soldiers killed Jesus, they were very mean to Him. One of the things they did was to whip Jesus. This represents the whip they used to hurt Him.
Scripture: Mark 15:15
(You can find leather string here.)
Egg #4: Mini crown of thorns
Story: Jesus said that He was the King of the Jews. The soldiers made fun of Him and made a crown out of sharp thorns and put it on His head. This little crown of thorns reminds us of the crown Jesus had to wear.
Scripture: John 19:2
Egg #5: Small piece of purple fabric
Story: Along with the crown of thorns, the soldiers also put a purple robe on Jesus like a king would wear. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They didn’t realize that Jesus really was a heavenly king. This purple fabric reminds us how the soldiers dressed Jesus.
Scripture: John 19: 2-3
Egg #6: Mini Cross
Story: The cross that Jesus was to die on was put on His back. They made him carry it to a place where he would be hung on the cross. After a while, a man named Simon was told to carry the cross the rest of the way. This cross reminds us of the cross Jesus had to carry.
Scripture: Matthew 27:31-32
(You can find mini wooden crosses here.)
Egg #7: Nails
Story: When they reached a place called Calvary, Jesus was nailed to the cross. They put nails into his hands and feet. These nails remind us how they nailed Him to the cross.
Scripture: Luke 23:33
Egg #8: Small sign that says, “This is Jesus, King of the Jews” written in Hebrew, Greek, and/or Latin
Story: Before Jesus died, they placed a sign above the cross that said, “This is Jesus, King of the Jews.” It was written in different languages. This was another way to make fun of Jesus for saying He was a heavenly king.
Scripture: Luke 23:38
Egg #9: Sponge
Story: The soldiers who nailed Jesus to the cross continued to be cruel to Him. He was very thirsty and asked for water to drink. Instead of offering Him water, they filled a sponge full of vinegar and made him drink that. This sponge reminds us of the vinegar they made him drink. (You may want to give each person a drop of vinegar here to taste the bitterness.)
Scripture: Matthew 27:48
Egg #10: Spear
Story: Jesus bowed his head and died. Then one of the soldiers took his spear and pierced Jesus’ side to make sure he was really dead. This spear reminds us of that.
Scripture: John 19:33-34
Egg #11: Stone
Story: Jesus’s friends took His body down from the cross. They wrapped His body in linen cloth and put it into a tomb. They rolled a stone over the entrance and then left. After three days they went back and were surprised when the stone had been moved. This rock reminds us of the stone that was rolled away.
Scripture: Matthew 27:59-60
Egg #12: Empty
Story: They went into the tomb and saw that his body wasn’t there. Jesus was alive again. This empty egg reminds us of the empty tomb because Jesus was resurrected! This is the reason we celebrate Easter.
Scripture: Matthew 28:5-6
Happy Easter!
I hope you have a wonderful Easter! I also hope you will find a Christian Easter tradition that will bring joy to your family and help you spend Easter with Jesus. After all, He is the one who makes family, salvation, and joy possible.
If you would like ideas on how to help your kids keep Christ in Christmas, check out this post!
What do you like to do for Easter with your family? Share in the comments below!
This is what I wanted for my family as a mother. I love it all!
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